Citation

DePasquale CE, Handley ED, Cicchetti D. Dev. Psychopathol. 2018; ePub(ePub): 1-10.

Affiliation

Institute of Child Development,University of Minnesota-Twin Cities,Minneapolis,MN,USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1017/S0954579418000834

PMID

30426910

Abstract

The impact of maltreatment spreads across many developmental domains and extends across the entire life span. Identifying unidirectional or bidirectional drivers of developmental cascades of the effects of maltreatment experiences is critical to efficiently employing interventions to promote resilient development in maltreated children. This 1-year longitudinal study utilized a multiple-levels approach, investigating "bottom-up" and "top-down" cascades using structural equation modeling between cortisol regulation, externalizing behavior, and peer aggression. Neither a bottom-up model driven by cortisol regulation nor a top-down model driven by peer aggression fit the data well. Instead, lower rates of externalizing behavior at Year 1 most strongly predicted improvements at all levels of analysis (reduced cortisol, externalizing behavior, and peer aggression) at Year 2. These results provide initial indication of a mechanism through which interventions for maltreated children may be most effective and result in the most substantial positive changes across developmental domains.

Language: en

Keywords

cortisol; externalizing; maltreatment; pathway; social